There are several challenges that are associated with common containers used in packaging, shipping, moving, etc. A typical container uses flaps, which overlap and interlock with each other, to: (i) provide structural rigidity to the container; and to (ii) serve as a bottom side or as a base panel of the container. Interlocking or interconnecting these flaps consumes by far most of the time required to erect a typical container, so that it is ready for use. Furthermore, excess material is required to produce a typical container due to the requirement of, inter alfa, an abundance of material for the overlapping flaps, which: (i) have a total aggregate area greater than the area of the base of the container and (ii) are often required to be thicker in order to provide sufficient structural rigidity.
To address the previous challenges, a number of alternative containers (e.g., cartons, boxes, packages, etc.) have been proposed. These alternative containers either rely on additional side walls (e.g., a container with six side walls) or require having folding side walls, which can be folded onto the base of the container. However, these features usually compromise structural integrity. For example, it is difficult to maintain these alternative containers fully erected (i.e., in a box configuration) without substantially filling them. Moreover, the folding side walls of these alternative containers often collapse when other containers or heavy loads are stacked on top.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a container and method of using same that are able to overcome the above disadvantages.
Advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the detailed description of the invention hereinbelow.